"Even though you are my daughter, you are still my best friend." My mother is a woman of great insight and wisdom in my life and it spills over into the lives of all that know her. She sacrificed so much for me to become the person I am today, even giving up the career that she loved as a special needs early childhood educator to be able to teach me herself through the beautiful means of homeschooling. My mother was able to build an environment where she taught me that it is ok to work at your own pace and that being your genuine self is the most honorable thing a person could do; without her, I know that my life would have ended much earlier had she not been a constant influence in my life. Growing up my mother always had the most empathetic heart I have ever seen, and she showed that through serving her community and having a true heart of hospitality. I watched her sacrifice her time, energy, and personal space to bring others in and create a place where they too could feel at home and at ease. I learned that being there for someone in need--or simply being considerate of who is around you--and going out of your way to make them feel relaxed and love is wonderful to achieve. She was a perfect example of sacrificial love, support, a hope giver, and a comforter; with her influence, I came to know that there can be peace in serving those around you if done so with a joyful heart and spirit. My mother lived her life in a way that demonstrated to me the definition of running after Christ and leaning on Him for everything; showing that strength and true rest are found in HIm even when the days are hard and very busy. When she was having a hard day, and I was being difficult with school and life in general I can remember seeing her going to her knees in prayer, communing with the Lord, taking a deep breath, and calling me in the read the scriptures with her. "It is never too late to start the day over", was a motto that she lived by, and she took a firm standing in that because of the forgiving grace and mercy of God. By serving the Lord, she served others and taught me to do the same. Whether that be through helping in the youth group at church, going to set up early at events for 4-H, or other groups we were a part of or serving down at the UGM (Union Gospel Mission). Even though she only had one child, she showed me how we are all children of Christ and she made sure that she did her best to make every single person who walked into her home feel seen, remind them they are loved and was a patient mentor and friend not just her friends, but also to mine. Her testimony in life is one that I aspire to follow as an example and role model in my life. Now being a grown young woman, I am closer to my mother more than ever, and pray that the Lord continues His work through her because she has been such a blessing to me and I want all the world to see how beautiful a woman she is.

A world without the arts is like a face without emotions: it can be there but has no way of truly expressing meaning and emotion. I grew up in a home that placed great emphasis on the arts and showing the beauty that is around us by using the most influential means of the modern-day: music, theatre, and film. Because of the passion that was instilled in me at a young age, I have decided to pursue cinema-television and theatre at college. Concentrating on sound and lighting is what I plan to do in film, and acting in theatre, in light of the fact that they control the direction of what one is trying to express on the set and the stage. I believe that pursuing a creative degree will have a positive impact on the world because there are so many stories that need to be told (through film and acted out in theatre); ones that display truth and light in times that are so dark and challenging. The arts are the most influential platform of today, the way that one person's thought or story can be broadcasted to reach millions of people. I want to be one of the people that shows hope and love in truth and uses my skills to impact generations to come with an honest point of view in a corrupted society.